Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto gave his final performance in Japan knowing he was about to pass away. Now, the iconic composer’s legacy is captured in documentary “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus,” directed by his son Neo Sora.
Sakamoto collaborated with auteurs like Luca Guadagnino and also scored Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar-winning turn in “The Revenant.” On March 28, 2023, Sakamoto died after a years-long battle with cancer. Despite retiring from live performances, Sakamoto returned to the stage one final time in late 2022 to play 20 pieces presented in a curated order. The first footage of the film includes Sakamoto performing the score of Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Sheltering Sky,” among other pieces.
“Opus” was filmed at the NHK Broadcast Center’s 509 Studio, which Sakamoto said had the “finest acoustics in Japan.” Cinematographer Bill Kirstein shot the film using three 4K cameras, with Sakamoto first recording his pieces on an iPhone from his home to “construct the overall composition of the concert that will express the progression of time from morning into night,” as per a previous press statement. “Opus” is produced by Sakamoto’s manager and wife Norika Sora, along with Albert Tholen, Aiko Masubuchi, and Eric Nyari. Jeremy Thomas serves as an executive producer.
The “Opus” performance spans Sakamoto’s entire career from his popstar Yellow Magic Orchestra period to music from his meditative final album, “12.” The documentary premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival.
Sakamoto issued a statement about “Opus” prior to his passing, saying that the film was “conceived as a way to record my performances — while I was still able to perform — in a way that is worth preserving for the future.”
“I went into the shoot a little nervous, thinking this might be my last chance to share my performance with everyone in this way,” he continued. “In some sense, while thinking of this as my last opportunity to perform, I also felt that I was able to break new grounds. Simply playing a few songs a day with a lot of concentration was all I could muster at this point in my life. Perhaps due to the exertion, I felt utterly hollow afterwards, and my condition worsened for about a month. Even so, I feel relieved that I was able to record before my death – a performance that I was satisfied with.”
“Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus” from Janus Films premieres March 15 in theaters. Check out the trailer and poster below, and read IndieWire’s review here.
